A Practical Look at Making Money as an Online Writer

Yesterday we asked followers of our Facebook page for suggestions on future Online Writing Insider topics. One excellent recommendation came from James Peterson:

There have been a myriad of advice (good and bad) as to the economic benefits of writing articles for Hub Pages. Some will say they’ve done well and some have not made a dime no matter how hard they try. The economic benefits of writing for HubPages is part of the selling platform to draw writers. Since this is the case, let us see some reality as to realistic support in this area. Many writers are in it for the money. Some could use it. If it is going to be a selling point, then support it.

Many people enter the realm of online writing thinking that they’ll get rich quick. Others are unsure of which avenue they should take- whether they should create their own site or publish work under a larger umbrella. Still others start writing online and become frustrated when they don’t see significant earnings, despite their efforts.

In this week’s podcast (Making Money as an Online Writer – A Practical Overview), we explore the major channels through which online writers can make money (working as a staff writer, working as a freelance writer, writing for a content farm, creating your own blog or website, and writing on an open publishing platform), review the perks and downsides of each, and also discuss how one may come to make a significant amount of money using open publishing platforms such as HubPages.

We hope you find the practical review to be useful!

Is there another online writing issue that interests you? Or have you taken a unique approach to making money as an online writer? Tell us about it by sending us an email at podcast-at-HubPages-dot-com.

10 replies on “A Practical Look at Making Money as an Online Writer”

I enjoyed the podcast. I worked for the content farms, but this avenue of writing is very frustrating, because you are at the mercy of copy editors, who are under tight deadlines, and frequently cranky. If you have to constantly rewrite articles, it’s not worth your time.

I have been published a few times as a freelance writer, but received clips, instead of pay. Very competitive way to make money.

This podcast has been very informative. I started with HubPages 2 years ago and have learned a lot; I am also aware I still have a lot to learn. I have made some money, but have yet to reach the minimum threshold to actually receive payment. I will keep writing and perhaps by the time year number three is complete I will begin receiving cheques. I recommend anyone starting out to begin on HubPages.

LOVED THIS PODCAST. Having been here only 4 months. I learned through trial and error. I liken this to martial arts. It takes time and dedication, practice and writing great content. The SEO thing is very tricky for someone like me who is a writer by trade. I have seen my income rising with certain hubs and I am striving like others for better traffic.My goal is to make residual income over the long haul. this was a very helpful hub and confirmed all my thoughts. I won’t get rich. But that the money can be used for other extras…

Can you do a pod cast on what other blog sites we can dump our hubs on that push it out to other sites?

That’s a great way to put it, alpha girl!
About the request: We actually don’t allow for Hubs to exist elsewhere online- they have to be original to HubPages. We also don’t encourage people to drop links en masse anywhere- we have found that organic growth is the most sustainable and ideal way to get more traffic. Unfortunately, there are many mistaken people who advise people to do otherwise… which makes things confusing!

I just started 3 weeks ago. I am making a little bit of change as I am continually promoting. I have had over 800 viewers so far. My most popular article has had over 600 views. I believe this is a great avenue to make money and I see the potiential. The podcast was very informative. Thanks.

I really don’t enjoy listening to podcasts. I’d rather see the information written down. I’m sorry, Simone, but it took so long to get to the point that I switched off.

Having been on the web now since late 1994, I can honestly say that I’m aware that many, many people earn money on the web, I have found it a soul destroying exercise. I know that writers join places like elance, etc., but I just don’t have it in me to do things like that. I hate bidding against other writers. I think it’s ethically wrong for the website to make writers bid against each other because in the end, people work for nothing just to get the work, hoping that in the future they will get paid work.

I also know some hubbers who earn good money there, but they spent a year to to 18 months working for pennies.

No worries, Sophia Angelique! We share stuff in bunches of other formats- podcasts aren’t for everyone!
I agree that actively seeking to make money online can be a very stressful thing- when it comes to writing, I personally prefer to earn money as a bonus and nothing more. That way, writing can be pressure-free and purely fun!